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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Joseph Stoiber Arrested For Spitting On Sidewalk In Lakeland, Florida

If you work for a multinational bank, you can help drug lords and terrorist associates launder billions of dollars without worrying about spending a minute in jail. But for one insomniac, the simple act of spitting got him thrown in the slammer.As originally reported by TBO.com Joseph Stoiber, 29, was arrested for spitting on a sidewalk in Lakeland, Fla. in the early morning of May 30."I bent over slightly into the grass area and spit slightly without any audible noise," Stoiber told TBO at the time. "The police officer then looked at me and he asked me, 'Did you spit on the curb?' And I responded, 'Yes I did.' "Stoiber spit after he had refused officer Tyler Anderson's request to pat him down. Anderson patted him down anyway and that's when Stoiber spat the accumulated saliva from his chewing tobacco on the sidewalk.Stoiber was jailed and released on $250 bail. The charge against him was dropped by prosecutors, but Stoiber told the Ledger this week that he thinks the cops who arrested him got off easy.After an internal investigation, Anderson had to write an essay about search-and-seizure policies, officer safety, verbal skills and arrest procedures. Officer Nicholas Ivancevich, who assisted on the arrest and also spit on the sidewalk, was told to write a research paper about officer safety, interpersonal and verbal skills, and book-in procedures.Stoiber said he's considering his legal options and believes both officers should have been fired. He also said he thinks he was arrested not because he spat, but because he refused the officer's request to be pat down.